Flora/Fauna/Nature -Ideas and Concepts Thread

[RAdam]

Well given the theme of the game, it would make sense for the map not to be limited. It could be that when you approach the edge, new sector would load up. Creatures might be tracked a given radius from field of vision but not further. It would also be appropriate to somehow transition from small campsite with little details to larger settlements. All the while dropping details and enabling new features or abilities.

The spores thing could be then just outside influence on particular area. Given wind direction and source.

Same thing with those large packs of wild animals or something that is in the story. One could maybe sense the group from high places, or airship. But it would only be a point on a map.

[MoPed]

In later releases, yes, it would make sense to try and not restrict the scenario to just one map, but for now, we're focusing on getting the core game up and will make natural borders on the edge of the map, such as cliffs, ocean, swamp and toxic fumes. The demo scenario is sort of a Robinson Crusoe/ Mysterious Island scenario where you have to stay where you are and work close to the environment, so no need for the player to cross the edge.

The "map edge" is an interesting issue. We'll make an effort to not have "invisible walls". Preferably, it should be obvious to the player why they are blocked, it comes down to careful level design basically.

[MoPed]

Re: dasblargh 21 Nov 2013 07:18

We do have pollen blowing across the map, it looks nice, but they have no effect on the game yet. We've had to postpone a few things, among them, treatment of diseases. (to be specific, player-controlled treatment of diseases - for now, the characters will be in charge of that themselves.) But it's high on our list. Same with the glow-in-the-dark trees ("starsnares") that you see in teaser #1... they have been postponed because originally, only buildings were able to glow in the dark, and a few code changes are needed to make trees glow at night also...It sounds weird that it should be an issue, but all these little things add up, and we try to prioritize very strictly. So they will come in at a later stage.

[dasblargh]

^ Maybe that could be helped with an appearance in the crowd sourcing landscape?

[MoPed]

^ Maybe that could be helped with an appearance in the crowd sourcing landscape?

It would be nice to put modders at work, but it does require some development of modding tools. The first tool out the gate will be the map editor (for placing landscape features). Later, there will be tools for setting stats, numbers, descriptions. The tasks described above we'll have to do though.

[RAdam]

Im not sure what is the plan with overall map, but if eventual plan is to have an entire planet, you could draw the overall shape of the continents. Lay a grid over it (ok there may be some problems with projections...), dividing it into sectors. Place the locations of maps you already created and define if borders are crossable. Then after map editor is out, run contests for maps with defined borders and theme. Presto world builder. Or at least continent builder.

Altho to be fair, if you picked a map size 10X10km, there would be 5 million maps for a planet the size of Earth... Ok sure mostly water.

[MoPed]

Improvised anti-hive methods

I'm working on the demo scenario where your group is stranded on an island dotted with colonies of "quadites" (the pack predator that looks like a four-legged spider). I'm thinking of improvised methods for clearing out their nests (they live in caves and crevices) I'm going with one method where you gather sulfur deposits from the nearby volcanic springs and make sulfur smoke bombs that you throw down into their lairs. The sulfur dioxide released could be a way to kill them. (The bombs should probably have one more ingredient to burn better...?)

Do you have any other ideas? ..Just remember that they don't have any fuel with them (the crashed airplane ran on batteries)

[DK312]

They could maybe disassemble the batteries, could be that a combination of the materials in the batteries could lead to a substance that enhances the product.

Or maybe plants around the camp that contain some sort of fire accelerant, like an oil. the plant could use that oil when it feels threatend.
Just some ideas

[Rowanas]

A few of the plants suggested so far would have potential applications in smoke grenade creation. Firestalk for a self lighting version, packed with Lungmoss to increase the size of the billowing sulphurous cloud. Different variations of other plants would work as well. Perhaps even something that sets off further fires in the caves themselves. Accidentally setting the place on fire would serve well to move the action and focus of the scenaio on, especially if it's the tutorial-type beginning section.

[Spiritwind]

One thing I love that I can see in the Early Access Demo is that you guys are keeping things interesting, without becoming cheesy like many developers do while thinking up new 'Creatures'.

Being a person that greatly criticizes Flora and Fauna in games such as this, one thing I always see lacking is the invention of completely new evolutionary chains of species. They always take from what we have here; Plants, Insects, Amphibians, Reptiles, Mammals, Chordates, Invertebrates; etc. However, there is a high chance that life on other planets will take completely different evolutionary route. Chances are we won't see Woody Trees with Roots that dig deep into the ground, and leaves that photosynthesis, or Insects that live short life cycles, but breed quickly and numerously to make up for their short life cycle. Yeah, we might see some similarities, but chances are that the core of the creatures are going to be completely different (Which you guys have picked up on, and which I love the results of so far).

This of course is a major challenge, and you can clearly see it by looking up any concept art depicting "Alien Life", they always have things that we see here on earth; if its landscape they'll have trees (Or some sort of woody material that greatly resembles a tree), with life forms that greatly depict creatures on earth ( To the point that if we discovered them as fossil remains, we'd classify them as a ascendant of current lifeforms on earth.

It can also be very time consuming, as you pretty much have to create and imagine a completely new cycle of life, that is totally different from what we are use to - while keeping it totally believable.

I'll think on it here and there, and see if I can present you with some ideas .